Daily Management Review

New Research Into Space Settlement And Space Habitation Will Be Supported By Seed Grants Launched By UAE


02/11/2018




New Research Into Space Settlement And Space Habitation Will Be Supported By Seed Grants Launched By UAE
The Space Settlement Challenge program was recently launched the UAE as part of its pledge to enhancing the speed of the global space exploration activities.
 
The program is devoted to grant seed funding for projects and programs encompassing ambitious efforts from all areas of research that have the aim of creating and following up ideas and concepts to reveal the possibility of space habitation by humans in the future. The program intends to lure in talented people from all across the globe irrespective of their discipline, background, or origin. 
 
For a start, a dedicated seed grant of AED2 million (approximately 500,000 euro) would be infused into the Space Settlement Challenge. The finances would be put to use to sponsor proposals which would examine new and unique ideas and concepts that seek to create new business models for living and working in space. a next-generation platform called "Guaana" would be used for collect and consider project proposals from diverse disciplines. The "Guaana" platform has the potential to dramatically reduce time and effort for funding of seed ideas by its innovative model.
 
For the newly established Mohammed Bin Rashed Centre for Accelerated Research, an initiative of the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), the first project is the Space Settlement Challenge.
 
Dubai Future Foundation's CEO Khalfan Belhoul said: "The UAE has set itself on an ambitious path to lead the global space race, establishing the first city on Mars as per the 2117 Mars Project. Space research is the logical next step in humanity's search for knowledge and survival, and an advanced means to preserve human cultures, societies and economies. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Settlement Challenge we are launching today is designed to provide support for creative minds, unconventional ideas, innovative designs and research."
 
There are three broad categories for the space challenge. One of the categories is one that is related to Space Settlement which is aimed at creating strategies and plans that would be able to create and environment suitable for habitation of at least a 100 people in space. While considering the human factor at all stages, this category would deal with examining issues that are related to – for example, building of automation, power, food, water, heating and cooling.
 
Terraforming and space ecology is the second of the three categories. This category would examine establishment of long-term environments that would be livable, creating strategies that would support responsible terraforming of off-planet bodies near the Moon, Mars, asteroids and other orbital habitats.
 
Economics, business model and governance make up the third category under consideration. This category aims to create business plans for ideal economics and making use of resource, creating situations that can select partners in the private-sector who are inclined and interested in undertaking commercial space activities. Creation and supporting of national level policies aimed at enhancement of awareness of the society for peaceful settlement in space through good governance is also an aim of the challenge.
 
(Source:www.prnewswire.com)